PIONEER THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS
The Philadelphia Story
By Philip Barry
Salt Lake City – Pioneer Theatre Company presents the sparkling romantic comedy The Philadelphia Story January 11 through 26, 2013.
Tracy Lord is young, beautiful, sophisticated, fabulously wealthy, and about to marry what she thinks is the man of her dreams. But when her dashing ex-husband and the two reporters assigned to cover her wedding descend on her family’s opulent country house outside Philadelphia the day before the ceremony, Tracy has a hard time keeping her nuptials—not to mention the dictates of her own heart—on track.
ALLISON McLEMORE plays the role of Tracy Lord. McLemore’s New York credits include The Madras House and Rutherford and Son at the Mint Theater, and Nora and The Dybbuk at Marvell Repertory Theatre. She was also seen in The Nibroc Trilogy and Turn of the Screw at Chester Theatre Company; Last Train to Nibroc at Peterborough Players; The Underpants at The Olney Theatre; Cyrano at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival; Three Sisters, Othello andJane Eyre at Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre; and Pygmalion, which received a Denver Post Ovation Award. She returns to Pioneer Theatre Company after appearing in Dracula.
The three men in Tracy’s life, C.K. Dexter Haven, Macaulay “Mike” Connor and George Kittridge are played by TODD GEARHART, TODD LAWSON and JAY STRATTON, respectively.
Gearhart, playing Tracy’s ex-husband C. K. Dexter Haven, appeared on Broadway in Bye Bye Birdie. His other New York credits include Manhattan Theatre Club, Roundabout Theatre Company, Playwrights Horizons, The Vineyard Theatre, The Beckett Theatre. He received an IRNE Award nomination for Best Actor in The Ogunquit Playhouse’s regional premiere of Sunset Boulevard opposite Stefanie Powers. His TV credits include Gossip Girl, Lipstick Jungle, Law & Order, The Education of Max Bickford, All My Children, The Guiding Light and One life to Live. His film credits include Batman: The Dark Night Rises, Dogs Lie, Moving Mike and Peppermills. Todd plays counselor David Elias on Law & Order: SVU, has a BFA from CCM and studied in NY with Uta Hagen. He is also a member of New York’s critically acclaimed TACT – The Actors Company Theatre. This is his PTC debut.
Lawson, who plays the journalist assigned to write about Tracy’s wedding, appeared on Broadway in Summer and Smoke and off-Broadway in One Arm, Levittown, Only a Lad and Young Playwrights Festival. His other New York credits include Stones In His Pockets, Flight,Unnatural Acts, Alphabet City III & IV, The Grecian Formula and Barefoot in the Park. He appeared in the national tour of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The Philadelphia Story marks Lawson’s PTC debut.
Stratton, playing George Kittredge, Tracy’s fiance, appeared in New York in The Man Who Came to Dinner at the Peccadillo Theatre; The Dishwashers at 59E59; She Stoops to Conquer,Twelfth Night and The Oedipus Cycle at The Pearl Theatre; and Duchess of Malfi with Red Bull Theatre. He has appeared at regional theatres across the country and returns to PTC after appearing previously in A View From the Bridge and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.
The photographer assigned to cover the Lord wedding is Liz Imbrie, played by MARGARET NICHOLS. Nichols’ New York credits include Children, Bedroom Farce and Long Island Soundoff-Broadway; Seeing Stars for the New York Musical Festival; A Christmas Carol at the Lucille Lortel; and the world premiere of What You Will, an original musical based on Twelfth Night. She was in the national tour of Les Misérables, and is a company member of the off-Broadway The Actors’ Company Theatre. This is her PTC debut.
Tracy’s Uncle Willie is played by BILL NABEL. On stage, Nabel appeared in eight Broadway shows: the original A Chorus Line as Al, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast as Lumiere, Sweeney Todd as Pirelli, 42nd Street as Bert Barry, Home Sweet Homer as Melios, Ain’t Broadway Grandas Max, Evita and The Most Happy Fella; he has logged over 9,400 performances on Broadway. Also an author of some note, his new play Lying to Spielberg played at the Utah Shakespeare Festival last year. He returns to PTC after Sunset Boulevard and Man of La Mancha.
JOYCE COHEN plays Margaret Lord, Tracy’s mother. Cohen has appeared on Broadway inOnce a Catholic and off-Broadway with the Mint Theater Co. and Playwrights Horizons. Her regional credits include People’s Light & Theatre Co., Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Peterborough Players, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Plan-B Theatre and Salt Lake Acting Company. She returns to the PTC stage after numerous appearances, including Black Comedy,Hamlet, Our Town, Arcadia, Othello and A Streetcar Named Desire, to name a few.
ANDERSON MATTHEWS plays Tracy’s father, Seth Lord. Matthews’ Broadway credits include Pater Ustinov’s Beethoven’s 10th and The Robber Bridegroom. His other New York credits include Driving Miss Daisy, Ten By Tennessee, and Arcadia at Lincoln Center. He most recently appeared at PTC as the Stage Manager in Our Town. Other PTC shows include The Three Musketeers, As You Like It, You Can’t Take It With You and Noises Off.
BAILEE JOHNSON plays Dinah Lord, Tracy’s precocious little sister. Twelve-year-old Johnson’s theatre credits include A Tale of Two Cities (Hale Centre Theatre), Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird(Hale Centre, Orem) and the title role in Annie with Herriman Arts Council. Her film credits include 127 Hours, 17 Miracles and Christmas Oranges. She has also appeared as a dancer for Ballet West’s The Nutcracker. She appeared at PTC in last season’s production of Annie.
ANDY RINDLISBACH plays Tracy’s brother, Sandy Lord. A graduate of the University of Utah’s Actor Training Program, Rindlisbach has appeared with Plan-B Theatre Company, Meat & Potato Theatre Company, Salt Lake Acting Company and Salt Lake Shakespeare. Rindlisbach also performed at Kingsbury Hall with Bobby McFerrin. His film and TV credits include Disney’sMinutemen and Dadnapped, 17 Miracles and One Good Man. He was recently seen in PTC’s productions of The Tempest, The Diary of Anne Frank, Hamlet and others.
Rounding out the cast are local actors RICHIE CALL, ROGER DUNBAR, MATTHEW JAY ROMRIELL, EVA TERRANOVA and ROSIE WARD.
Guest artist JENN THOMPSON directs the production. Thompson currently serves as a Co-Artistic Director of NYC’s TACT/The Actors Company Theatre, where she has directed the off-Broadway productions of: Neil Simon’s Lost in Yonkers (2012 Drama Desk Nomination for Best Revival of a Play), Vaclav Havel’s The Memorandum, Sidney Howard’s The Late Christopher Bean, Alan Ayckbourn’s Bedroom Farce, Tennessee Williams’ The Eccentricities of a Nightingale (New York Times’ Top Ten for Theatre Pick, 2008), as well as Ladies in Retirement,My Three Angels, Rain and Kind Lady. Other NYC directing credits include the NY premiere of Holly Webber’s play Pratfalls (The Abingdon), the world-premiere musical Seeing Stars, (NYMF), Badge by Matthew Schneck (Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre), The Brilliance of Bernstein (American Musicals Project) and Big Doolie (FringeNYC). A 2012 finalist for the SDC’s Joe A. Callaway Award, for excellence in New York City directing, Jenn is married to actor Stephen Kunken and mom to Naomi. This spring she will direct Beth Henley’s play, Abundance, for Hartford Stage.
WILSON CHIN designs the set for the production. From 2003-2007, Wilson served as an associate/assistant designer to Santo Loquasto on nineteen productions including Broadway productions of Glengarry Glen Ross (Tony Award nomination and Drama Desk Award), Three Days of Rain (Tony Award nomination), Shining City, and The Times They Are A-Changin’, andFaust at the Metropolitan Opera. Wilson was also an associate designer on the Broadway production of Fela! (Tony Award nomination). On Broadway, Wilson designed critically acclaimed Next Fall by Geoffrey Nauffts (dir. Sheryl Kaller), which was nominated for two Tony Awards, including Best Play.
Guest artist and Broadway veteran designer DAVID TOSER designs costumes for the production. Toser is a graduate of Brown University and the Yale School of Drama. His work has been seen on and off Broadway and TV, including 26 Tony Award productions. His work is currently seen in New York in the Irish Repertory Theatre’s production of The Freedom of the City.
Lighting design is by MARY LOUISE GEIGER. Off-Broadway Geiger has designed the lighting for I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Cabaret Verboten, The Learned Ladies, The Legend of Sharon Shashanova, Goose! Beyond the Nursery, The New Americans and The Red Sneaks. She also lit PTC’s productions of Smokey Joe’s Café, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Piano Lesson, Conversations with My Father and Lend Me a Tenor in previous seasons.
Assistant Lighting Design is by University of Utah faculty member JESSE PORTILLO. Hair and makeup design is by PTC resident designer AMANDA FRENCH. Sound design is by PTC resident designer MATTHEW TIBBS.
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Pioneer Theatre Company operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States. Pioneer Theatre Company, Utah’s only fully professional theatre, performs at Roy W. and Elizabeth E. Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, located on the University of Utah campus at 300 South and 1400 East in Salt Lake City, easily accessible by TRAX light rail. Free parking is also available and the theatre is equipped with an elevator, handicap parking, hearing assistance devices and other easy-access features.
PHOTOS AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD: High-resolution color photos of this production will be available for media use on the PTC website beginning Wednesday, January 2, 2013 after 3:00 p.m. Go directly to http://www.pioneertheatre.org/press-room/media-photos/
TV CAMERA FILMING: Filming a short segment of the production during Preview or Opening Night for press use can be arranged. Call 801-581-7222.
INTERVIEWS: Interviews with the cast and artistic staff are available. Call 801-581-7222.
PRESS TOURS: Tours of the set for the press are available. Call 801-581-6270.
WHO: Pioneer Theatre Company WHAT: The Philadelphia Story By Philip Barry WHEN: January 11 through 26, 2013 TIMES: Mondays – Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 8:00 p.m. Saturday matinees, 2:00 p.m. WHERE: Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre 300 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City PRICE: $25 – $44 in advance and $5 more when purchased the day of the performance Kids in grades K – 12 are half price on Mondays and Tuesdays MORE INFO: Box Office: 801-581-6961 Open 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Mon – Fri www.pioneertheatre.org
CAST:
Richie Call…………………………………………………………………………………………….. Mac/Dr. Parsons
Joyce Cohen*………………………………………………………………………………………. Margaret Lord
Roger Dunbar……………………………………………………………………………………. Thomas
Todd Gearhart*………………………………………………………………………………… C. K. Dexter Haven
Bailee Johnson…………………………………………………………………………………… Dinah Lord
Todd Lawson*……………………………………………………………………………………. Macaulay “Mike” Connor
Anderson Matthews*……………………………………………………………………. Seth Lord
Allison McLemore*………………………………………………………………………….. Tracy Lord
Bill Nabel*…………………………………………………………………………………………….. Uncle Willie
Margaret Nichols*…………………………………………………………………………… Liz Imbrie
Andy Rindlisbach*………………………………………………………………………….. Alexander “Sandy” Lord
Matthew Jay Romriell…………………………………………………………………… Edward
Jay Stratton*……………………………………………………………………………………….. George Kittredge
Eva TerraNova………………………………………………………………………………….. Elsie
Rosie Ward………………………………………………………………………………………….. May
ARTISTIC TEAM:
Director………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Jenn Thompson
Set Designer……………………………………………………………………………………….. Wilson Chin
Costume Designer…………………………………………………………………………… David Toser
Lighting Designer……………………………………………………………………………. Mary Louise Geiger
Sound Designer………………………………………………………………………………… Matthew Tibbs
Hair and Makeup Designer………………………………………………………. Amanda French
Dramaturg…………………………………………………………………………………………… Janine Sobeck
Production Stage Manager……………………………………………………….. Jeffrey Stewart Williams*
Stage Manager………………………………………………………………………………….. Mary P. Costello*
* Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association.